Job Announcement: Dean of the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs

Dean of the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs

The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) invites inquiries, nominations and applications for the position of Dean of the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs.

Founded in 1994, the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs is located in one of the world’s largest and most diverse urban regions and is situated at a critical point in the east-west dynamics reshaping civil society. The dean will lead three academic departments (public policy, social welfare and urban planning); eight degree programs (three undergraduate minors, three professional master’s and two doctorates); several research centers; more than 75 faculty (including visiting and joint positions), of whom 39 are full time; more than 40 field faculty, academic coordinators and lecturers; and more than 500 students. Faculty members and students work at scales ranging from neighborhood to international on topics such as urban poverty, immigration, aging, health care, transportation and trade, as well as national security. The school received more than $13.6 million in external research funding during the 2014-15 fiscal year. A fundamental part of the school’s service mission is realized through its engagement in local, regional, national and international programmatic and research collaborations.

As the chief executive and academic officer for the school, the dean sets the standard for intellectual engagement and accomplishment, providing strategic vision for and operational leadership of the academic programs, and conceiving and managing policy and resource allocation to achieve its mission. He/she ensures that the school continues to provide academic and scholarly programs of the highest quality and effectiveness, promoting initiatives within and outside UCLA; engaging with a multidisciplinary faculty whose research interests span a wide range of policy areas; enhancing excellence through diversity in educational programs and student and faculty recruitment; and linking the work of the school’s faculty and students to other disciplines, communities and interests within the academy and in the public sphere. He/she serves as the school’s public voice, articulating its contributions to local, state, regional, national and international communities, and pursuing an aggressive fund development program to build the school’s resources. Reporting to the executive vice chancellor/provost, he/she serves on the deans council and the council of professional school deans, and collaborates with the chancellor, executive vice chancellor/provost, vice chancellors and vice provosts, deans and department chairs at UCLA and across the University of California system.

UCLA seeks a bold, innovative and visionary thinker to lead highly influential public policy, social welfare and urban planning programs on the forefront of problem-solving scholarship and practice. The ideal candidate will be nationally recognized with strong scholarly visibility; substantial administrative and program-building experience, preferably in a research university; and demonstrated leadership as an innovator, ambassador and partner in collaborating with leaders from various institutional and community sectors. Minimum requirements include a record of distinguished scholarly accomplishment; intellectual and administrative leadership; deep engagement in addressing social and economic issues in a wide variety of settings; success in external and alumni relations and development; an established record of advancing diversity; and credentials that merit appointment at the rank of full professor.

Situated on 419 acres, five miles from the Pacific Ocean, UCLA is enriched by the cultural diversity of the dynamic greater Los Angeles area, as well as the geographic advantages of Southern California. One of the world’s preeminent public research universities, UCLA is an international leader in breadth and quality of academic, research, health care, wellness, cultural, continuing education and athletic programs, with more than 4,000 faculty members who teach approximately 40,000 students in the College of Letters and Science and 11 professional schools. UCLA is consistently ranked among the top institutions nationally for research funding, having generated an average of $1 billion in research grants and contracts annually over the past five years.

Confidential review of applications, nominations and expressions of interest will begin immediately and will continue until an appointment is made. To be ensured full consideration, please email a letter of interest and curriculum vitae to UCLA’s Witt/Kieffer consultants (Mary Elizabeth Taylor, Robin Mamlet and Robert Luke) at UCLALuskinPublicAffairs@wittkieffer.com by January 4, 2016.

The University of California is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer committed to excellence through diversity, and seeks candidates committed to a campus climate that supports equity and inclusion.